Today I’m on the porch. It’s cold and rainy and dreary. And when I say cold I mean it’s 53 degrees F. Yes I’m a Texan, and this is cold for us. I’ve lived in PA, where it gets much colder, but here the winters are very mild.
I’ve used my husband’s old sled on my front porch. When his family moved into a house in the 60’s this sled was in the attic.
I added a burlap bow and some other goodies to the sled. The sled is missing it’s rope you use to steer the sled. I mentioned it to my husband and he didn’t know what I was talking about. I don’t think he used it much in Oklahoma where he lived. In PA, we used our sleds every winter, and we used the rope. Here in Texas, it’s just Christmas decor.
I love this toile bucket! I thought it added a fun element to the porch.
You might recognize it from my post on my dining room. Here is the other side of the bucket. I never can decide which side to put in the front.
I’m celebrating Christmas and December and having the BEST READERS EVER by having a giveaway. Every time you leave a comment, you are automatically entered to win. Some restrictions apply.
Now that you’ve seen my front porch, let’s head over to my back porch. Below are a few stockings I added to my demijohn crate. Why not? Who says stockings have to be hung only on the chimney?
Here’s my lantern all set up for Christmas. Lanterns are great for seasonal decor because you can dress them up for any season. Here I used some greenery from my yard along with a mercury glass garland, and an ‘A’ with my little ice skate ornaments. I used to be a figure skater, by the way. I could do some jumps and spins, but that’s about it. I’ve promised to take my daughter skating this season, so pray I don’t get all fancy, decide to show off, and then break something.
I brought my favorite fluffy pillows outside to make my chairs more comfy. The red and white ones are made from antique linen torchon (towels) from Europe.
This is another vintage sled that we inherited. I filled it with vintage mini Christmas ornaments that were also inherited.
I brought some Christmas pillows outside also.
Here is my back porch with my table all set up. The bench is actually a converted crib. I’ve used a rosemary bush on the table and wow the fragrance!
As you can see here in the city, we are really close to our neighbors. I actually like it more than I thought I would, but I have very polite, considerate neighbors who are very quiet.
I hope you enjoyed my porch tour. Have fun checking out what my friends are doing on their porch and outdoors.
Please join us…but bundle up because “Baby It’s Cold Outside!”
~Monday~
The Chelsea Project || Worthing Court || In My Own Style || Duke Manor Farm
~Tuesday~
Happy Happy Nester || Jen Rizzo Designs || Cedar Hill Farmhouse
~Wednesday~
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Atta Girl Says || Hymns & Verses || Sondra Lyn at Home || On Sutton Place
Great ideas! I live in Texas too and it is important to decorate our porches since we can still sit out there during Christmas time.
Anita: What a fun tour of your porch! What a pleasure to be able to sit out there and enjoy it. Thank you for sharing!
Wow! Everything looks so amazing. I love the vintage ornaments on the Porch and the pillows.
Love the sled! I use my Dad’s old skis and poles – nice reminder of him at Christmas! Love your beautiful designs and writing! Thank you!!
Lanterns are so versatile but I especially like to use them during the holidays. I really like the bells you added to yours. Your porch decor is so cute, I’m off to find some skates!
We all need memories at Christmas whether it’s a tree made of tumbleweeds in the desert or snow sleds and toboggans from the more northern climes. Love your porches!
Stockings on the porch, what fun! Santa can find them easily there.
I could just go on and on about all the wonderful items used in these vignettes, but let me just zero in on those Santa pillows and savor the moment. I have such a heart for traditional vintage and you absolutely stopped me in my tracks with these amazing pillows. The whole back porch is so lovely and inviting. I bet your neighbors love peeking over the fence to see what beautiful decorating you have in progress. Thanks so much for sharing with us. Happy Holidays ~~ Susie from The Chelsea Project
LOVE your porch! Here in the Midwest we can’t put much outdide for decos unless you don’t care if it gets wet & freezes!
That bucket is so unexpected but so elegant and gorgeous for the holidays. Your porch is quite lovely.
Ooooh – I love your sweet vintage Christmas touches, Anita! You have some amazing things. It all so looks so pretty displayed on your porches! Funny story about the sled rope.
I love to decorate the porch, however, here in Oklahoma the wind seems to blow constantly. I always wind up chasing pillows!
Love it all especially the way you styed the lantern
Love the look! I’m in Texas also, amd I also place a sled with skates each year along with other touches .. I grew up in the North East and the sled just feels like the holidays! Please keep the post coming !! Merry Christmas!
Even in Maine it is festive to add Christmas decor to the porch although I don’t need to set the table. Burrrrrr!!!!
Not only could you use the sled rope to guide you down the hill while sitting put it was necessary for pulling the sled back up the slope. Lots of memories from my sledding days.
Nancy
Growing up in San Antonio, the closest I ever got to sledding was once when we actually had a few inches of snow. We used cafeteria trays from the hospital where I worked (don’t tell) and slid down a slope into the parking lot. But it was fun! I have a couple decorative sleds and now I know a new way to use them. Thanks for the inspiration and memories. And yay! The rain and cold are gone and it will be sunny and 70 today!
XO Ginger
A wonderful welcoming idea!
Anita, the table on your back porch is beautiful! A beautiful place to relax in this busy season.
Great post!
Oh those linen stockings are fabulous and I love the ice skate ornaments! So cute with the lantern! Yes we all skate like Dorothy Hamill in our dreams…..
Love the porch decorations, and wish I could do something similar. BUT, living in Maine, where it is currently 24 degrees and 2 inches of snow ( first snow of the season!)…makes outdoor decorating a challenge – things have to be unbreakable; weather resistant, etc!
I chuckled to see the apparent beach scene on your toile bucket ( or is she sitting on a snowbank?)
Thanks for the inspirations!
What a cheerful way to start my day on a rainy cold day in GA! Thank you!
Loved the porch tour – esp. love those sweet red/white pillows!
Love that beautiful toile bucket! I use my husband’s sled from his childhood in Pennsylvania and Delaware as part of my Christmas decor. It makes both of us smile!!
Oh how I always love to see your gorgeous porch decorated for any season! Your Christmas porch is filled with such beauty and warmth (even though it’s cold outside) of the season. Your beautiful details always gives us such great inspiration! Beautiful and festive…love your hubby’s sled! Have a Merry week Anita!
Careful on those skates missy!!!
I love the porch decorations and believe I would spend all day on the back porch. I lived in Texas for awhile and I sure do miss those winters.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Anita, love love your porches…! Wish I lived in Texas …I’d come to sit a spell !! your toile bucket is beautiful wherever you place it …Merry, Merry ! Anne
Love your place…very homey.
We use our porch year round. We are in the panhandle of Florida and it does get cold — for us! Christmas lights around the ceiling and candles on tables make it nice even in the winter.
Love the sled….thanks for sharing!
I love it all!
More Merry decorating???
I love looking at all the Christmas decorations…gleaning ideas from them…One that I picked up from yours is the rope with the ornaments! How neat and interesting!! I have a grapevine tree (6′ tall) I decorate on my porch and this idea will be perfect. Now to head to the GW and Salvation Army for some ornaments…think I saw some at SA yesterday! It’s the thrill of the hunt…I love your porch and sled. I had a sled in FL (go figure…lol), but sold it in yard sale when we moved to N. Ga (where it actually snows…lol) Wish I still had it! One of many “stuff” regrets! Merry Christmas!!
So cute! I especially adore the Santa pillows!
I grew up in Nebraska and now live by San Antonio. I had the same sled as the one on your front porch, however, it too is only for decoration now! I say I miss the snow but I think just one day with it and I’d have enough. ?
I just inherited some old sleds and skis so I am incorporated some of your ideas. The mercury glass ornaments on a rope is a great idea, or perhaps you bought them that way. I’m going to try and make some garland like that. Merry Christmas!
Here in south FL, 53 is chilly for us too! Pretty porch ideas. Thanks!
Love the porch tour,the little ice skate ornaments are to die for !!!
Oh Love all your ideas!!!! The porches are beautiful! I wish I had kept an old antique sled I had bought for $5.00 in CT and stenciled myself, very rustic…When I moved from CT to SC I gave to my son who has a house in VT…Sometimes it is so hot at Christmas time, that things like that look strange…but I still decorate more country than most here!!! Using an old barn red grain sifter to hold my wreath with another garland around it…… Thanks for sharing all your ideas!!!!
Merry Christmas! What a joy to be able to look at your porch all decorated and beautiful without having ads jumping out at me all the time and covering up the real reason for the blog. Kudos to you. Enjoy your blog everyday.
Love the vintage look of your Christmas porches. My favorite element is the sleds. Merry Christmas.
Your lantern with the mercury glass garland is so pretty. Everything looks so inviting. Thanks for sharing.
Your porch is beautiful and I just love that ornament garland!
Love the toile bucket….adds such a charming detail to the porch.
Oh, I love everthing!!! But I have to say the sled is my favorite. I have two decorated outside every Christmas….And I just bought a pair of vintage skates in original box for only $18 I was thrilled!!! I have a crib like yours and I just may have to fix mine as a bench. Great idea!
I absolutely LOVE every detail of the way you decorated your porch! Thank you for sharing your loveliness!!
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Oh where did you get that toile bucket from. It’s soooo cute.
Jane
Love the decor on both of your porches! Thanks for sharing!
Very pretty and welcoming! Merry Christmas!
Love the Santa pillows best!
Anita could not say it any better (who says) love it ! Moons ago went to school for design . Years pass and have come to love saying that when it feels right you do ! That is all that matter. So special to have a treasures like your sled nicely put together . Thank you lovely blog
I’m dreaming of me….myself and I sitting out there with a decorating magazine…..and a Cappuccino!!!!!! And Anita Joyce you are more than welcomed to join me!!!!!! Lol…. just beautiful!!!!!! ???
Love your front porch ideas! I decorate ours even here in Ohio except its too cold to sit out there.
Love your ideas and creativity! A fellow Texan, I love decorating porches for every season.
Anita, your porch is so festive and welcoming for the holidays! Today in Pennsylvania it was cold and rainy (about 40 degrees) and I was out on my porch taking photo’s for tomorrow’s tour! I had my down filled parka and fur lined snow boots on!!! It sure was cold, but hope it looks cozy for tomorrow’s tour! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I love that sled. Thanks for sharing the photos.
Marion
That toile bucket is gorgeous. Thanks for this post.
Joan
I love those adorable Santa pillows. Thanks for sharing this post.
Marilyn
Love your porch, I’m up here is the panhandle of Texas and we do get colder weather. Personally I like the warmer weather and less wind. I’m happy to see more red Christmas decor this year.
Anita, again I am so impressed with your decorating ideas. Beautiful!
Deb
As always you have made your entrance and porches look so festive and inviting! I too lived in Tulsa for a few years, we did sled but your’re right we layed down and steered with the handle, and hoped for the best ha! Merry Christmas!
Love the toile bucket. Every space needs toile, right? And rosemary.
I grew up water skiing. I said the same prayer the last time I went water skiing in my 50’s.
In the West we do not see too many front porches as such, but I do love the idea of front porches, as well as back porches, decorated with some Christmas cheer. I think the Santa pillows ae adorable.
Both of your porches are so pretty. Thank you for sharing.
I wish i was your neighbor. I would peek over the fence all the time to see what you are doing on your porch! 🙂
Laura, I wish you were too!! We wouldn’t get much work done though…
Anita,
I love your porch! All your decor is so gorgeous and I love the story of your husband’s sled. How cool is that?!! Yes, it was cold when I worked on my post as well, and you made your porch looks so cozy and warm. I especially love your Santa pillows! Lovely post!
Your pictures evoke an old fashioned Christmas to me ~ especially the skates, the sleigh, the Santa pillows. Reminds me of my childhood and the coziness of family, snowflakes, the smell of pine and all the anticipation of Christmas morning…thank you
I loooove the “ice skates”. How clever of you. The color pops. Great idea.
Love both of your porches! Always get such good ideas from your posts. Merry Christmas!
I lover every bit of your decorating and the red and white is so cheerful for Christmas. I either don’t remember you having said that you lived in PA or I forgot. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh. I wish I had my sleigh from when I was a child. I’d love to decorate it for Christmas. I live in Texas too and I’m ready to move where there are 4 seasons.
Have a wonderful & blessed Christmas!
Sandi
Anita, those little ice skates are too cute!
I lived in NJ for 11 years and the first six months nearly froze, even in July! You really do get used to the cold. Now that I’m back in Texas I hardly wear a coat.?
Love, love your porches! I also live in Texas, the DFW area so gets a little colder than your neck of the woods. We too love to sit on our back patio during the fall and winter since we have a fireplace there. I love to decorate them seasonally, but we have had so much rain this fall I’ve had to continually move decor in and out. Very frustrating! Love the toile bucket. And I put Christmas pillows on my large front porch also since it’s covered. Quite a delightful read this cold cloudy morning here!
Hard to pick one thing as my favorite! Last year I ordered pillow covers on line that look vintage for only a few dollars each. They took a long time getting here but they look like the real thing from back in the 50’s. I love that they are just the covers and that I can use some of my regular pillows and then store just the covers when the season is over.
Even though we can’t sit on our porch here in Massachusetts, I decorated our back door landing this year also using lanterns decorated for the season. Your pictures have been a lovely inspiration for a lot of my decorations this year.
Everything looks so homey.
I not only love your porches and ALL you decor ideas, I also love he fact you were from Pa, I`m near Philly, went to NYC this past weekend and ice skated at Rockefeller Square, I think you should take you daughter there to skate… LOL! <3
Oh yes, I think that’s a fabulous idea Anne!!!
PS, and yes Anita, “BABY IT`S COLD OUTSIDE” here in Pa! Ha